Unexpected
by TheLadyMoon
Summary: Cloti. He'd been hoping against hope everything would finally, at last, be okay. But with her sitting there on the barstool struggling to find the words, unable even to look at him...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** It's not mine. Other than the story.

**Unexpected**

**CTCTCTCTCT**

She's sitting rigid in a barstool when he walks in, looking pale as a ghost. He forgets his tired, aching bones the second he sees her and, dropping his sword, rushes over.

She flinches when he gets near, averting her eyes as he inspects her face. He does a cursory glance of her body (_no wounds_) and then the bar (_nothing out of place_). After assuring himself that she isn't in physical danger, he stares at her again, this time questioningly.

But she's still avoiding her eyes, and still pale and slightly shaking.

"What happened?"

The sound of his voice in the silence makes her jump a bit and he sees tears begin to well up. Her lower lip trembles a bit and she bites it to keep it steady. As casually as she can manage, she motions to a seat at the table a few feet away from her.

He's hesitant to leave her side but she gestures again. So he sits down, suddenly below her, and watches as she gathers both thoughts and courage.

A pang hits him.

_What if this is it? The end of it all? What if she finally couldn't take it anymore?_

It was true, he'd been better. He had learned to answer his phone, and to even call her from time to time. He'd been better about spending time with her and the kids, and he'd been more useful at home. He'd been better... but he still lapsed from time to time.

_Shit! The argument!_

A few weeks ago they'd had a fight. It was their first big one as a couple, and it was rough. A lot was said, some of it necessary but most of it just to hurt the other person. He'd never thought that he'd speak that way to her, nor that she'd speak that way to him. Their words had grown more and more heated, and the need to just run, just get away, had taken him over. She'd seen that. And that's when she said it.

_"Go on, leave! That's what you're going to do eventually isn't it? So just get it over with! Just get it the fuck over with!!!"_

And so he did. He'd hopped on Fenrir and though his brain screamed "stop!" he started the engine and drove and drove and drove. He regretted it by the time he reached the end of the street, and was hating himself before he even left the city. He'd been so ashamed he'd stayed out all night, all the next day, and that night as well. He'd returned the following morning with flowers, gorgeous blooms unlike he'd ever seen before purchased for a hefty sum from a gardener several hours away. She'd just placed them quietly in a vase and ignored him for the next week.

They didn't talk about. They just went back to their normal lives, only with a heavy tension remaining between them. He'd been hoping against hope that it meant he'd been forgiven, that he'd have another chance, a final chance even, and that everything would finally, at last, be okay.

But with her sitting there on the barstool struggling to find the words, unable to speak easily with him, unable to sit next to him, unable even to look at him...

His heart sank.

_Please, please don't let this be it. I'm truly sorry, I am, and I'll make it up to you a million times over. Please.... please...._

"I'm pregnant."

The second the words left her lips his mind went blank.

Had he heard her right? Had she just said... she did didn't she? She'd said... a baby! They were having a baby!

Before he could think about it he was up, reaching for her, with the brightest smile he'd ever felt covering his face. A baby! They were having –

"It's not yours."

He stopped.

What had she just said?

_It's not... not... mine?_

There he was, stuck in mid stride, arms up though somewhat limply, face fighting to hold a smile.

_But she'd just said... we're having... but it can't be... what?_

He could only stare at her. No words could clearly enter his mind let alone exit his mouth.

She chanced a small glance at him and he could see it all in her eyes. She was petrified, guilt-ridden, shocked. And her heart was breaking, for him, for her, for their family, for everyone.

And that was when it hit him.

She's pregnant with another man's child.

His instant reaction was one of anger, and he had to fight the sudden urge to punch something, anything. But the urge faded soon.

He couldn't be angry at her. Just couldn't. She was ill looking, frail, exhausted and white as a sheet. She was shaking, trembling, just barely holding back tears. And there was a child within her...

He lowered his arms, defeated.

"Was it... was it when I left?"

He looked at her, hopefully. If it had been then, then maybe...

A tear escapes then and she quickly looks away, trying hard to calm her breath. A minute passes before she gives a gentle nod and lets out a near silent "yes."

He can't help the relief that floods him, even if it's only his ego that feels better. So it was when he was gone, when she probably thought he wouldn't return. That was better than an affair...

"Are you... seeing him?"

He can't help but ask it.

She shakes her head, almost violently, more tears starting to spill. She's struggling again, just trying to keep it all together.

"No, no, it was only... only then. Only one time..."

He nods, as if he understands when really he's only starting to comprehend what's going on.

"Have you been to a doctor?"

He only asks for her health. He's worried now. She's pregnant.... pregnant... women can die in pregnancy right? There can be complications, health risks. She should see a doctor...

She nods, and wipes her cheeks.

"I went this afternoon. I was feeling a little ill and it... the doctor told me about it... he did some tests..."

"Is everything okay? With... I mean, with you and the, um...."

She nods again.

"So far so good."

It's a simplistic answer, but it warms his heart. She's starting to sound more like her, more like Tifa. His Tifa. The one he's sworn to protect.

"That's good," is all he can answer, and he can see her calm a bit.

He feels some of the tension leave the room, tension he hadn't even realized was mounting. This... feels more normal. It doesn't feel right, not yet, but they can do this. They can get through this. But there is just one more thing...

"Are you going to see him again?"

He knows it's petty but he needs to know.

She thinks for a second, seemingly weighing several different options in her head and then choosing her words very carefully.

"I... think I should tell him at least. I'm not planning to... to be with him or anything like that. It was a one time thing, I swear!"

She looks up at him now with pleading eyes, and before he can calm her fears she continues.

"We'd just had that argument and you'd left again and I thought you'd be back in the morning. And you weren't. And you weren't there at lunch or at dinner and I heard from people who'd seen you and knew you were alright and I thought... I really thought you weren't coming back this time... and it wasn't like I'd been waiting for you to go or anything, like I'd wanted to be with him or anyone else and just waited till you were gone!"

She has to stop for a second, as sobs have started to break through and it's hard for her to get her words out. He reaches out for her then, finally wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. She cries into his chest, struggling to calm herself, to continue speaking.

Finally after several minutes she's able to take a long breath, then another, before continuing.

"He'd been to the bar a few times, but I barely knew him. I know he doesn't live here and just comes to visit every now and then. I know his name... now. But not much else. You were gone and it was late at night and I'd.... I'd been drinking a little..."

He can feel the shame in that last phrase. Tifa almost never drank. Not only was it bad for business, but she believed it would be too easy to become addicted when she worked and lived in a bar.

"I know it's stupid, I shouldn't have been, and I waited until the kids were asleep. I kept the bar open late and I was hoping you'd.... but I was alone here, and everyone left. Except him, and he offered to help me clean and then... and then he was kissing me and it was hazy and then I... I mean, it... it was so fast it was like I didn't even know what was happening and then... you came back in the morning and it was all I could do not to send you away because I just felt... Oh, God, I'm so awful!"

He holds her tighter as a new fit of sobs wrack her body.

"I've never... I've never even thought about doing something like that! It was always you, only you, and no other man... I didn't want... I just...."

He rubs her back, not sure what to say. But even without words he's somehow able to get the point across that he's not angry with her. Even if he wanted to be he's not sure he could be honestly angry with her.

"I know I should've told you" she whispers softly now. "I kept trying to find the words but it's... it's so weird and awkward and I just didn't know how. I know I would've told you before we did anything again."

He realizes briefly that they hadn't been intimate since the argument, but he'd just thought she'd been angry at him.

"I only found out today and other than the doctor you're the only one who knows. I wanted you... to help me make the choice. You know if I should... I mean..."

He pulls back to look at her then, and sees the trouble reflected on her face. He knows what she means and wonders why he should have any say at all, but since she wants him to help her...

"Do you want to do that? To make it go away?"

He doesn't know of a better way to phrase it, and he can tell just by saying it he's hurt her. She looks at him quickly, hands going protectively to her stomach, before returning her gaze back to the floor.

"I... it would be hard to raise it... people will know and you'll... you'll know. But it's... it's my..."

She can't continue with her words but he understands. He wraps his arms around her again, holding her close.

"Okay."

It's all he can say, really.

"Okay?"

"Okay. Okay, you're having a baby."

He can feel her stiffen slightly, then finally bring her arms up behind his back, holding him as well. The tension finally releases from her shoulders as she slumps into him.

"Okay..." she mutters softly, exhausted, defeated, and fully trusting in him.

_Yes, okay. We'll be okay. She still loves me and I still love her and now there'll be a baby. It doesn't matter... what happened doesn't matter... we'll be okay..._

_But I'm still going to find the bastard that did this to her and kick his ass._

**CTCTCTCTCT**

**Author's Note:**

K, so I was sorta "inspired" by other (very good!) works on this site, where I just personally felt that the characters would've behaved a bit differently. I honestly always think Tifa gets the short end of the stick, especially in the cheating department. I read countless fics where Cloud cheats and Tifa's supposed to forgive and forget but when there's a fic where Tifa cheats (even if she's drunk or something) then there's little to no forgiveness for her. Not bashing any fics, just saying that all put together it looks a bit uneven and I just don't see it happening like that. So here's my take on it :)

Also notice that if you've read _Needle_ this story and that share the same argument with a different outcome. This one, though, likely will not focus on Mako reduction of any sort. The point of Needle was both that Cloud could do better with medical treatment AND that he was already improving without it. This story is an "improving without it" story. Also this is my first multi-shot story. I've never intended to go beyond the first chapter with any of my stories so this is a first. Let's see if I'll be good and write another chapter soon. It only takes me like an hour or two to write, edit and upload but I've got one little one here and another little one coming so we'll see how much time/brainpower I'll actually have for this :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Unexpected, Chapter 2**

**Disclaimer: ** Still not mine.

CTCTCTCTCT

He's awakened by the clanging of dishes and pans, and the sounds of people talking downstairs. A quick glance at the clock shows him how late it is. He's already missed his morning deliveries, but that's probably for the best. He figures he should take the day off, if only to clear his frazzled mind.

Last night they were able to make it upstairs without problem, but the second Tifa fell into bed she was asleep. Cloud had spent most of the night looking at her, and thinking.

Thinking, thinking, thinking.

He was getting pretty good at that, though he had to admit it was easier to think with the road under him and the wind in his face and the whole world rushing by.

But still.. in the dark, quiet calm of the night, laying in bed and staring at the woman he loves... He found himself able to think more clearly than he ever had before.

Perhaps it was the shock, the fact that his mind had rushed into emergency mode. Something about this struck him as if it were a battle. He needed to prepare, needed to strategize. He needed to fully understand the situation before proceeding.

Of course, laying in bed couldn't tell him everything he needed to know. It couldn't tell him the reaction of their friends or the children, or even of that jerk who'd... who'd been there and...

Cloud couldn't even think of him, not at first anyway. In a sense he thought around him, thought of the situation in relation to this missing other figure but didn't think about him directly. He thought of his role, helping Tifa through the pregnancy and helping her with a new baby, but tried his hardest not to think about the possibility of another man being involved. Not with his Tifa. Not with this baby.

Somehow over the course of the night, through silent hours of staring at her stomach rise and fall with deep, even breaths, he'd become a bit... attached to the child growing within her. He couldn't quite place it yet, this feeling. It wasn't the same as he felt for Marlene and Denzel, nor was it all that much different. It was an odd feeling, but not a negative one. He felt affection for the little being inside of Tifa. And protective, he definitely felt protective, and he knew without a doubt he'd protect this child with his life.

So he'd spent the night thinking and feeling and imagining, and finally falling into a deep, dreamless slumber not too long before Tifa herself rose to take on the day.

CTCTCTCTCT

He descends the stair cautiously, listening carefully at each step, dreading more and more the descent. It's not that he doesn't want to face Tifa. In fact, after a night spent reflecting on his feelings towards her and the child, he wants even more to see her, and be near her. But it's the voices. Oh, the voices...

Yuffie's shrill laughter had struck him shortly after he exited the bedroom, Barret's tone hit him at the top step, and Cid's voice could be clearly heard halfway down. As he leaves the bottom step he can hear Vincent join in.

He's too busy trying to figure out everyone who's in the room that he doesn't listen to what they're saying, but he certainly notices the sudden hush as he enters the room.

They're staring at him. All of them. All those he's heard, and those he hadn't like Nanaki, Cait Sith and a few of the bar regulars. The emotions reflecting in their faces – sorrow on Barret's, humor on Yuffie's, anger on Cid's – struck a chord with him and he realized that they knew exactly what was going on.

The moment of silence lingered, awkwardly, as Cloud simply stood and stared at his comrades and they, in turn, either stared right back or avoided his gaze.

Finally, the moment was broken. Tifa gave a soft, tense laugh which jolted them all.

"Well, I guess we all know now..." she said softly, trying hard to sound humorous.

Yuffie picked up on it and seemed to be readying for a joke, most likely at Cloud's expense, but was cut off by Barret.

"You doin' okay?"

It was a simple phrase, but there was so much earnest emotion behind it that for a second it blindsided Cloud. Barret was truly worried about his wellbeing in this situation and Cloud was honestly touched at his concern.

Of course, he wasn't one to show it.

"Yeah," he muttered. "I'm doing okay. Don't worry about me."

He tried his hand at a light smile and knew he'd failed terribly when Yuffied grinned ear to ear in response.

_At least I'm trying..._

Tifa seemed to appreciate it, and placed a plate of food down on the counter, in front of the remaining open chair. A cursory glance showed him that the others had likely eaten already, meaning the food was for him, meaning that he was meant to sit with them all and eat and likely have a very awkward conversation.

He only hesitated a moment before sitting and stuffing his face, trying hard to block out the silence that still pervaded. Luckily Cid decided that he couldn't take it anymore.

"So Tif', you really gonna have this guy's baby? Just like that?"

"Yeah, I mean... it wasn't planned, obviously, but now that it's happened...."

"Well, it's not like she has much of a choice!" Yuffie put in. "She's Tifa! She'd take in a child who showed up on the front step, how could she not take in a child that's growing in her body?"

There were a few more laughs then, and everyone agreed on that point. It was true, it was in Tifa's nature to mother people, so of course she'd love this child.

"So Tifa, how you gonna tell the kids?" Barret was concerned about Marlene, that much was obvious.

"I don't know... I was thinking about waiting a little longer to tell them, but I know they'd be angry if I did. I guess I'm going to have to prepare a little speech..."

"Looks like they'll be learning about 'The Birds and the Bees' a bit early!" cut in Cait Sith.

Tifa looked crestfallen then, and Cloud recognized that she was likely feeling like she'd failed the children, forced them to grow up before they really had to.

"I can tell them," he offered. Everyone's head whipped around to him, which didn't help with the discomfort he already felt surrounded by so many people.

"I mean... it might be easier coming from me, since they'll wonder about how I feel about it anyway."

That seemed to appease them, and they turned to leave him to his breakfast.

"What about the man?" Vincent's voice broke in.

That brought everything to a halt once again, and Cloud felt a rush of adrenaline.

_What about that asshole?_ he thought.

"Well I... I think I've tracked down his number and I guess I should call him. Maybe I should ask him to meet me, just to tell him in person," Tifa said thoughtfully. She looked to be in deep thought, playing over a dozen or so scenarios in her head to pick out the best one.

"Tracked down his number? So you really didn't know the guy!" Cid interjected, with a bit of a laugh. Cloud noted that Cid looked about as relieved as he felt. It was somehow easier to take the news knowing that the man was a random stranger and not someone she was involved in.

"What if he asks you to, like, marry him?" Everyone turned as Yuffie said this. "Or at least date him? Or live with him and raise it together or something?"

There was a long, thoughtful silence as the whole group envisioned this scenario, obviously hoping that it wouldn't come to be.

"She has a point," muttered Barret. "What if he tries to convince you to run away with him?"

The worry was evident in his voice, and as unlikely as it was that Tifa would agree, it was still a possibility.

"He won't be running very far when I break his legs."

Every head whipped back to Cloud.

_Oh, shit, did I say that out loud?_

"I mean... if. IF I break his legs. He won't be running far if..."

_Crap, this is not going well._

"What I mean is, if his legs needed to be broken by someone..."

_Nope, nope, not helping..._

".... sorry, forget I said anything."

He turned back to his food, face flushed, just trying to ignore their prying eyes.

After a long and tense silence, he finally heard a noise he hadn't realized he was missing.

Tifa laughed.

The soft and barely contained snort of laughter lead into a near silent eruption of giggles, that then sent of Yuffie, then Cid, then Barrett, then all the others in the room.

Soon even Cloud couldn't contain his laughter anymore, choking on his breakfast after an attempt to calm himself.

It felt refreshing, and brought about a certain sense of peace and contentedness that had been missing that morning, or even for the past few weeks since that damn argument.

It was a contagious, unstoppable sort of laughter that, once begun, was hard to contain. It did away with all the pain and shame and guilt and anger and soon, as everyone finally began to quiet themselves, the sense of normality was reclaimed.

Granted Cloud wasn't too pleased that it was his embarrassment that prompted a fit of hysterics, but it was better than sitting around in tense silence.

The conversation that followed was far more jovial. People asked why on Gaia she was telling them so early into the pregnancy ("I would've felt awful if I hid it") and why she was telling them all at once ("That way none of you knew first"). Those present who were regular customers and not part of AVALANCHE asked why they were also privy to the information ("You tell me everything about you're lives, you deserve to know about mine") and a few people asked how they should treat the man who'd been involved ("No, no you cannot kill him. Or break any limbs."). Finally, Yuffie asked a question that hadn't even occurred to Cloud.

"Why don't you just pass the kid off as Cloud's?"

The silence returned, stark and unwanted. Cloud, washing his dirty dishes in the sink, froze still.

_I hadn't thought of that..._

"It wouldn't be fair..." Tifa said softly, suddenly sullen again. "Cloud deserves to know the truth and it wouldn't really be fair to hide it..."

_Is she telling everyone... going through all this scrutiny... just to save me face?_

"Besides," she says with a forced half laugh. "He... the guy, he doesn't really look like Cloud anyway. Maybe it wouldn't be obvious, but I wouldn't want to hide something for years and years until one day it was obvious and then..."

She trailed off, and Cloud could almost read her thoughts.

_She's thinking that I'd leave. That we'd have a great family life and I'd just take off. And maybe she's right..._

He's ashamed of himself then, but recovers quickly. He knows somehow that he has to take the scrutiny off of Tifa.

_It's not good for the baby._

"It's alright," he says, probably a bit louder than he ought to. The all turn to him again, but this time it's welcome.

"It's okay with me... what happened. So long as Tifa's okay." He looks at her, urging her to believe in his words. "It's... going to be okay. And I'll be here to make sure of it."

She can't help a small smile then, and neither can he.

_Yes, somehow... this really will end up well. We really will be okay._

CTCTCTCTCT

**Author's Note:**

Okay, that took me a much longer time to write than the first, entirely because I couldn't seem to find any time! I swear my 3 year old can hear me typing in his sleep and keeps waking up from nap early just to stop me from writing fanfic :) Eh, at least he's cute. Also wanted to clarify that I do not in fact have experience with pregnancies, so I can't actually relate to Tifa either in the "unplanned/unexpected" department nor the "pregnancy" department. We adopted our son and are in the process of adopting #2, who (if all goes well) might be home in the next few weeks. So no relation to Tifa's situation with this baby BUT I can certainly relate to falling completely and utterly in love with a child with whom you share no blood relation, and feeling that they're yours in every sense of the word other than by blood. This is also probably why I like the Strife-Lockhart family dynamic so much, given that the children they're raising (Denzel and Marlene) did not join their family by birth and yet they still consider them family as if they had. Conversely, I get a bit irked when I read fanfics about Cloud and Tifa having "pretend" children, or finally having "their own" when Tifa gives birth. Kinda rubs me the wrong way.

That being said, sorry this took awhile to write. I have a very sparse, 10 chappie outline and I'm hoping to get through it all before new baby shows up. We'll see! If you couldn't tell, this is going to be an upbeat story. I just love my happy endings and warm fuzzies.

Thanks so, so much to all the reviewers! I'm sorry I didn't respond to any of your reviews. I'll try to be better in the future! Rest assured I'm reading them all and am very grateful. Thank you so much :)

-M


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